The Making of "Cleopatra" 1963 - English板

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作者 ott (寶貝)
標題 The Making of "Cleopatra" 1963
時間 2012年05月27日 Sun. AM 06:26:42

http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/640769

The Making of "Cleopatra" 1963 (Page 1)

Associated to Place: articles -- by * Messalina Terentius (3 Articles), Social Article
Elizabeth Taylor enters the public consciousness as a real life Cleopatra. Meanwhile Walter Wanger goes fishing and 20th Century Fox takes the bait. ...

CAST AND CREW TAKE A BREAK WHILE FILMING CLEOPATRA’S ENTRANCE INTO ROME. CINECITTA STUDIOS, ROME 1962

Any discussion of the film has to begin here with the producer Walter Wanger. He first envisioned making a film on Cleopatra in the early 1950's but was at a loss for a star for his film. When he saw "A Place In The Sun" in 1951 he knew he had found his Cleopatra in Elizabeth Taylor. It took him another ten years to get the project off the ground.

By 1958 Elizabeth Taylor began to take on a veneer of a modern Cleopatra when her producer husband Mike Todd was killed in a plane crash and she found consolation in his best friend Eddie Fisher.

Debbie Reynolds a friend of Elizabeth’s was married to Fisher at the time (They were America’s Sweethearts but unknown to the general public, their marriage at the time was in trouble) encouraged Fisher to comfort Liz.

In her Autobiography "Elizabeth Taylor" 1965 Elizabeth wrote:

“Through all those months of grief for Mike, I felt that I had loved and that there would never be anything like that again in my life. Eddie, who loved Mike, too, was the one man who could understand that my heart would always belong to the memory of Mike. And Eddie, somehow, made Mike seem more alive.

At the same time I felt cold and trapped by circumstances and without any of my own resources to find a way out. Maybe with Eddie I was trying to see if I was alive or dead. Also, for some idiotic reason, I thought that Eddie needed me, I should make somebody happy, Anyway, we got married.

It was clearly a mistake. We both, I think, tried very hard, the marriage was untenable - for both of us. To describe the indignities we inflicted on each other - and so many others - would be too private to go into. It was clearly a mistake, and also I don't want to hurt Eddie. I have done too much of that already."

When the world got wind of the relationship and that Debbie and Eddie were divorcing and Elizabeth was the reason for it Taylor was painted by the press as a scarlet woman.

Meanwhile Wanger was mounting Cleopatra with 20th Century Fox and stated that only Elizabeth would be his Cleopatra. Fox thought she would be too expensive for the B picture they had in mind and she still had a few years left on her contract with her home studio, MGM. They suggested Audrey Hepburn, Susan Hayward, Joanne Woodward, and Marilyn Monroe.

Fox sent out a poll to the theater owners of America asking them who they wanted to see in the roll. Despite the Liz-Eddie-Debbie scandal the word came back to the studio, Elizabeth Taylor and no one else. (This proved a big disappointment to Fox contract player and the poor man's Liz, Joan Collins, who had tested for the roll.

While in London filming her next picture "Suddenly Last Summer", Wanger called and asked Elizabeth if she would play the role. Eddie had taken the call. Thinking it was all a big joke she said. "Tell him I will play Cleopatra for one million dollars and 10% of the gross."

When Wanger agreed she was dumbfounded.

With Elizabeth now on board "Cleopatra" moved from a B picture status to an A picture. Plans were set in motion to begin filming as soon as Taylor was finished with her last commitment to MGM, “Butterfield-8”. Fox set designer, John De Cuir began to build Alexandria in of all places, London.

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The Making of "Cleopatra" 1963 A Near Death Experiance (Page 2)
Associated to Place: articles -- by * Messalina Terentius (3 Articles), Social Article
The first attempt to film "Cleopatra" in rain soaked London.

The Alexandria set at Pinewood Studios in London

“I was involved with “Cleopatra” for five years on and off, and surely that film must be the most bizarre piece of entertainment ever to be perpetrated – the circumstance, the people involved, the money spent. It had such potential to be a great film.” So said Elizabeth Taylor in her autobiography.

The films director was Rouben Mamoulian who had directed Garbo in “Queen Cristina”, “Blood and Sand” with Rita Hayworth and Tyrone Power and “Porgy and Bess”. Peter Finch was cast as Caesar and thirty three year old Irish actor Stephen Boyd who had made a huge hit as Masala in “Ben-Hur” was to play Mark Antony. To portray Octavian the cast was rounded out with British stage actor Keith Baxter.

Filming began on September 28, 1961 and almost immediately it began to rain. Taylor just as suddenly came down with a virus she could not shake. She was so ill that she was unable to film anything more than a few costume tests. She had to be carried onto the set and then after the test was completed she was carried off. When the illness grew worse Mamoulian had to film around her on the huge twenty acre six hundred thousand dollar set of Alexandria. Finch became so bored with waiting that he was often found dead drunk in his dressing room.

Finally with nothing more left to shoot without Taylor the production shut down for one month to await her recovery. As she recovered she and Finch came to the understanding that the script was un-actable. Elizabeth realized that the production was heading toward a B picture status and she did not want her first film after her MGM years to be a stinker. If the picture failed she knew that not the script nor the director would be blamed; only she would be remembered for the debacle and that they had given her a million dollars for it.

Re-writes were called for but Mamoulian felt that the script was fine as it was. To assert his authority over the picture he threatened to walk. Taylor knew after years of dealing with Louis B. Mayer just how to assert her power with studio heads, she told Fox to let him go. Mamoulian was fired and the studio cited “creative differences” for the exit of the famed director.

A new director was desperately needed to helm the film that was now deemed the picture that would save the ailing studio. But there was a hitch. Elizabeth Taylor was not only, now the highest paid actor in history, but she also had the unheard of, at the time, clause in her contract of director approval. Her list was a short one. George Stevens who had directed her in “A Place in the Sun” and “Giant”, and Joseph L. Mankiewicz who had just two years before guided her to her third Oscar nomination in “Suddenly Last Summer”.

Stevens was unavailable busy as he was filming his own epic “The Greatest Story Ever Told”. A reluctant Mankiewicz finally agreed after being offered a sweet deal of several million dollars. He jetted to London and upon seeing the sets deemed them “vulgar and garish” and his thoughts on the script were not much better.

Just as he began to sort things out Elizabeth who was now recovering from the flu took a turn for the worst. The illness suddenly turned into pneumonia. On the night she fell into a coma at the Dorchester Hotel there was a party going on downstairs for a medical student. At the party there just happened to be the number one resuscitation specialist in London in attendance. When he came into Taylor’s suite he found a hysterical Eddie Fisher crying over his wife. The doctor picked Taylor up and turned her upside-down and shook her violently to try and clear some of the congestion in her lungs. Then he sat her up and slugged her several times in the chest. She came too just long enough to look at him with surprise and say, “Who the hell are you?”

She was then rushed to the London Clinic where for several days doctors battled to save her life. At one point it was announce to the world that Elizabeth Taylor had only one hour to live. Several papers reported her dead. “I got to read my own obituary.” Taylor said later. “They were the best reviews I ever got.”

Years later Elizabeth Taylor reported her experience during the battle to save her life. She said at one point she was hovering above her body and watched as the doctors worked on her. Then there was a bright light and as she went toward it she saw Mike Todd her deceased third husband. “He said to me, ‘Go back Baby, it’s not your time yet’. He said he loved me and that he would be waiting for me. When I came too I told the doctors. They just smiled and looked at me as though I were slightly around the bend.”

An emergency tracheotomy was performed and her life was saved. When the news reached the street outside the London Clinic hundreds of fans burst into thunderous cheers.

As she recovered world opinion of the actress had changed dramatically, Forgotten was the Taylor-Fisher-Reynolds scandal. No longer the scarlet woman she was now Liz the survivor. And to make things even sweeter, she was nominated by her peers for and Oscar in the film “Butterfield-8”

“Cleopatra” was again shut down to give its star ample time to recuperate. Mankiewicz took this time to throw out Mammalian’s screenplay and start from scratch to write his own version of the story.

On April 17, 1961 with the world cheering a still weak Elizabeth Taylor walked to the stage of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to accept her Oscar for a film she hated.

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude,” She whispered. “for this and for everything. I guess all I can say is thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Oscar looser Shirley MacLaine quiped. “I lost my Oscar to a tracheotomy!”

At this point over twelve million dollars had been spent on “Cleopatra” with only ten minutes of useable film to show for it.

The Making of "Cleopatra" 1963 (Page 1)
~ Table of Contents ~
The Making of "Cleopatra" 1963 A Near Death Experiance (Page 2)

Posted Oct 13, 2005 - 22:31 , Last Edited: Oct 14, 2005 - 00:52

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The Making Of "Cleopatra" 1963: A New Begining In Rome (page 3)
Associated to Place: AncientWorlds > Rome > Italia > Pompeii > Northwest Regio > articles -- by * Messalina Terentius (3 Articles), Social Article

Part III of the history of the making of the epic film "Cleopatra" Staring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Rex Harrison. (1963 Twentith-Century Fox)

With Elizabeth Taylor now an Oscar winner 20th Century Fox decided to go ahead with “Cleopatra”. The decision was made to move the production from chilly London to warm and exciting Rome. This would not only insure Taylor’s health but Rome’s Cinecitta Studios was more than perfect for the production. Such Hollywood epics as “Quo Vadis” 1950 and “Ben-Hur” 1959 had been filmed there. And the artistry of the Italians when it came to set building and costumes was unsurpassed outside of Hollywood.

Rome in 1962 was the international Jet Set center and in the throws of la dolce vita madness with many stars strolling along the Via Veneto. Yet something else lurked along the Veneto and it’s side streets, something more sinister and particularly Italian. Not many outside of Italy knew much about these creatures but after “Cleopatra” and a film being made by Fellini at the same time, “La Dolce Vita” the name paparazzi would be a household word and the profession would spread across the glob like a seething virus.

During the months following the 1961 Oscar presentation during which Elizabeth Taylor recuperated Joseph Mankiewicz took the time to completely re-write the screenplay that both he and Taylor found appalling. Fox also found that it had lost two of the original films stars. Peter Finch (Caesar) and Stephen Boyd (Antony) had moved on to other commitments. Laurence Olivier who had been so stunning in “Spartacus” was considered for Caesar but he had commitments to the British National Theater deeming him unavailable. Mankiewicz wanted Rex Harrison for the role of Caesar.

They had worked together previously and were good friends. Harrison also had a way with witty dialog that lent it’s self to Mankiewicz style of writing. Keith Baxter was replaced by Taylor’s childhood friend Roddy MacDowell in the role of Octavian. Then there was the role of Antony. Fox decided on a contract player who had not made much of a hit in America since his role in “The Robe” nine years before. The Welsh actor who was touted in theater circles as the next Olivier was now a huge hit on Broadway as King Arthur in “Camelot”. Fox decided to give him one more chance at stardom. They bought out his Broadway contract at $250,000.00 and hoped that the magic he had on the stage would finally transfer to the screen.

Ka-ching! “Cleopatra” had now surpassed “Ben-Hur’s” 15 million budget making it the most expensive film in Hollywood history. And what did they have to show for the expense? About ten minutes of film that could not be used after all since new sets were being designed by John DeCuir, an uncompleted script and no sure starting date. “Cleopatra” was draining the studio coffers to such an extent they shut down other film projects except for a sure moneymaker just starting production. “Something’s Got To Give” staring Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin and Cyd Charisse. Fox was in deep trouble and needed to get “Cleopatra” Rolling. The studio heads took a collective deep breath and set a date for shooting to begin.

“Cleopatra” entered Rome in September 1961 and just as she had done two thousand years before created quite a stir among the citizens of the eternal city. The script was not ready; Elizabeth Taylor’s dressing room was five times larger than any in Hollywood that when she saw it she said, “It’s a bit much isn’t it?” The set for the Roman Forum was twice as large as the original and at Torre Austura near Anzio Cleopatra’s magnificent palace at Alexandria rose from the Tyrannian Sea.

The first scene to be shot was at night in Cleopatra’s camp outside of Alexandria from which she is exiled by her brother Ptolemy. She learns of Caesars imminent arrival and makes plans to meet him. It was also the first scene in the script. Because the script was still being written it was decide to film in sequence which is never done due to the huge expense added by this method. For the duration of the shoot, Mankiewicz filmed during the day and wrote at night. Sleeping was not on the schedule.

Over the next few months things went along slowly but smoothly as cast and crew created the story of Caesar and Cleopatra. But problems began to arise. The dancing girls went on strike complaining that their costumes were too skimpy. Rex Harrison threw a tantrum when his limousine was replaced with a smaller car. Elizabeth Taylor recalls in her autobiography “Elizabeth” by Elizabeth Taylor 1965;

“One day Rex Harrison came out from his house on the Via (Appia) Antica and there was his chauffeur with a Mercedes-Benz. “Where’s my Cadillac?’ The chauffer said, “They think it’s too expensive.” So Rex rode in this car, stalked onto the set and said, “Where’s the money man?”—who soon appeared. “Where is my car?” demanded Rex in his best Henry Higgins voice. The money man said, “Ah, ah, well, we, ah, felt perhaps you wouldn’t mind a Mercedes because it’s a little cheaper.” And Rex went stark staring mad and said, “I want my Cadillac and I want it now. And I do not appear on the set until my Cadillac is back. And what’s more, I understand that Elizabeth Taylor’s chauffeur is being paid far more than my chauffeur. I insist that my chauffeur get the same pay as Elizabeth Taylor’s chauffeur. Why the hell should Elizabeth Taylor’s chauffeur get more than my chauffeur just because she has a bigger chest!’”

By early winter it was time to shoot Cleopatra’s grand entrance into Rome. Thousands of extras, dancers, horsemen, archers and a three story high black stone sphinx to be pulled by three hundred slaves were assembled. Just as Mankiewicz was about to yell “roll camera” the cinematographer Leon Shamroy said, “Hold on Joe we have a problem.” The forum set had been built the summer before and angled on the back lot of Cinecitta to catch the light for summer and fall. Now in winter the shadows were all wrong and the set was too dark. Everyone went home and the scene had to wait until the following spring to be shot. (An interesting foot note on this set. The now standing set for the Forum in HBO’s Rome is on the exact same spot that “Cleopatra’s” forum stood. If you Google Cinecitta Rome on Google Maps you can see the HBO set from a satellite photo. See below.)

Yet still Mankiewicz and his cast were happy. They were getting a witty, smart, and more accurate than ever filmed before tale of Cleopatra in the can. Elizabeth and Rex were enjoying working together. And Fox back in California though generally happy with what they were seeing had one complaint. “We’re not getting enough publicity on this film!” They knew this was the biggest film being made and for some reason it was not getting the coverage it deserved.

Meantime, Richard Burton with his wife and children in tow was cooling his heals in his villa outside Rome. He had arrived in September along with the rest of the cast only to be told he was not needed yet but to wait just in case. By early winter had only filmed one scene with Gwen Watford as Caesars wife. He was restless and not looking forward to working with a woman he considered just a movie star more famous for her marriages and bosom than her acting ability. There was nothing to do but tour Rome’s night spots and wait. He was bored. That was all about to change.

HBO's "Rome" Forum set on the footprint of the Cleopatra set at Cinecitta Rome.

Atrium
~ Table of Contents ~
The Making of "Cleopatra" 1963 (Page 1)
The Making Of "Cleopatra" 1963: A New Begining In Rome (page 3)

Posted Jan 26, 2008 - 05:38 , Last Edited: Jan 27, 2008 - 00:48

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